Fran Ella Grace
Fran was born July 26, 1965 to the union of Curtis and Loretta Brownlee Grace in Toledo, Ohio. She is number seven in the birth order of eight children. Fran is the mother of two wonderful children, DelMar Christopher and Danielle Pope and the grandmother of three.
Fran served at the Stateline church of the living God, Jewell Dominion, under her grandmother, the late Bishop Ella Mae Dupree. She began playing music at the age of nine years old and became an as needed musician. Whatever instrument was missing out of the band she filled in. She plays steel guitar, bass, rhythm guitar, and drums. Fran would also sing in the choir and with her sisters Angela Grace Russell and Tressa Boles. Her sound is old school, and her brother Del gave her the opportunity to play full church services giving her the confidence to play.
Her role models are Bishop Lorenzo Harrison, Ronnie Mozee, Wayne White, Tubby Golden, and her brother Del Ray Grace. Fran was inducted into the 2019 Queens Sacred Steel Hall of Fame in Toledo, Ohio. Fran's greatest example of how a musician should be in God’s house was her brother Del Grace, not selfish at all, never intimidated and very confident.
NEW RELEASE!
Fran E. Grace - "Lady Strings"
Fran E. Grace was born July 26, 1965, in Toledo, Ohio to the union of Curtis Grace and Loretta Brownlee Grace. Fran is the mother of two wonderful children, DelMar Christopher and Danielle Pope.
Fran served as a musician at the Stateline Church of the Living God (Jewell Dominion) under her grandmother, the late Bishop Ella Mae Dupree. She began playing music at the age of nine years old and became an as needed musician. Whatever instrument was missing out of the band she filled in.
Sacred Steel music is one of the few styles of music presently passed down and taught by oral tradition. God blessed her with the gift of playing by ear. Fran is a quiet and humble soul as well as a multi-talented musician playing steel guitar, bass, rhythm guitar, and drums.
Her role models are Bishop Harrison, Ronnie Mozee, Wayne White, Tubby Golden, and her brother Del Ray Grace Sr. Her achievements include her 2017 Live CD recording entitled “See the signs of the judgement,” and the Loretta Boles O’Bryant Sacred Steel Sisterhood Award. Fran is one of the few female steel guitarists to rise out of the sacred steel music tradition and she was inducted into the 2019 Queens Sacred Steel Hall of Fame in Toledo, Ohio.
Track List:
1 God’s been good to me (Instrumental)
2 Sign of the Judgement
3 Let’s Dance (Instrumental)
4 Is it well (Instrumental)
5 God So Loved the World
6 Joyous Praise (Instrumental)
Credits:
Lap Steel - Fran E. Grace
Rhythm Guitar – Jay "Fingertips" Caver
Bass Guitar - Del Grace Jr.
Drums – Chris Pope
Vocals – Tressa Boles
Producer – Del Grace Sr. and Chris Pope
Engineer - Bigfoot Studios
Cover Design – Paris Steward
Photography – Chris Hibbett Photography
FAQS
What is Sacred Steel?
Sacred Steel is an African-American gospel tradition that features the steel guitar in religious services. It originated in Pentecostal churches in the 1930s
Where did Sacred Steel originate?
It developed in the Church of the Living God, particularly in the Keith and Jewell Dominions.
How did Sacred Steel gain popularity?
Sacred Steel gained wider recognition through performances by artists like Robert Randolph, Calvin Cooke, Aubrey Ghent and the Campbell Brothers, who brought the genre to international fame.
God Bless Sacred Steel!
